Made with a mix of chickpeas and red lentils, this vegan soup comes together quickly, has great texture, and is oh-so-tasty!

This curried chickpea and lentil soup is a recipe that can be adapted to taste and to what you have in your pantry. I've added chickpeas, omitted the greens, used vinegar in place of the lemon juice, and it always turns out well. Most important, it comes together alarmingly quickly but has a simmered-all-day-kind-of taste. // alexandracooks.com

My neighbor Sandra—of Pasta Puttanesca and Moosewood Tomato Salsa lore— introduced me to another keeper: COOKIE + Kate’s lentil soup, a popular vegan recipe, which Sandra confesses she makes with chicken stock. I love Sandra.

After devouring the quart of soup she brought to us during the blizzard, I set to work making a batch of my own, and I’ve made it twice more since: once mostly as written, but with chicken stock in place of the vegetable stock, and once with all water, which kept it vegan.

Both are completely delicious—this is a recipe that can be adapted to taste and to what you have in your pantry. I’ve added chickpeas, omitted the greens, used vinegar in place of the lemon juice, and it always turns out well.

Most importantly, it comes together alarmingly quickly but has a simmered-all-day kind of taste.

PS: Addictive Black Lentils with Spinach and Labneh

How to Make Curried Chickpea & Lentil Soup, Step by Step

First, gather your ingredients: lentils, chickpeas, onions, garlic, carrots, crushed tomatoes, cumin, curry powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and vinegar.

Saute the onions, carrots, garlic and spices together first.

Once the vegetables are soft and the mixture is smelling aromatic…

… add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.

Serve with fresh bread:

This curried chickpea and lentil soup is a recipe that can be adapted to taste and to what you have in your pantry. I've added chickpeas, omitted the greens, used vinegar in place of the lemon juice, and it always turns out well. Most important, it comes together alarmingly quickly but has a simmered-all-day-kind-of taste. // alexandracooks.com
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Curried chickpea and lentil soup.

Curried Chickpea and Lentil Soup

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Description

Made with a mix of chickpeas and red lentils, this vegan soup comes together quickly, has great texture, and is oh-so-tasty!

Notes:

Inspired by this recipe on Cookie & Kate. 

  • Carrots: I never peel anymore — I just give them a good scrub if they look dirty.
  • Tomatoes: Depending on what size can you buy or what you have on hand, feel free to use more or less tomatoes. I love the Mutti crushed tomatoes, which come in 14-oz cans, and when I have those on hand, I use the whole can, which is roughly 1.5 cups. When I have larger vessels on hand, I’ll use 2 cups. 
  • Liquid: If you cook the chickpeas from scratch — this slow cooker method is my favorite — use the cooking liquid from the chickpeas in the soup. 

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced, about 1.5 cups
  • 2 carrots, diced, 1.25-1.5 cups, see notes above
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds or ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • kosher salt
  • fresh pepper to taste
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 4 cups cooked chickpeas, or two 15-oz cans, drained
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
  • 1.5 to 2 cups crushed tomatoes, see notes above
  • 4 cups water or vegetable stock, see notes above

     

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, place the oil, onions, carrots, garlic, cumin, curry, red pepper flakes, fresh pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a sizzle over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally to coat the vegetables in the spices, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add the lentils, chickpeas, 1 teaspoon salt, vinegar, crushed tomatoes, 4 cups stock or water plus 2 more cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so mixture is simmering. Simmer for 30 minutes or longer, until the lentils have broken down, and the mixture has thickened. Taste. Adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or vinegar/lemon to taste. Serve with bread. 
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American, Indian